Wireless communication has grown rapidly during the past several years due to new applications that utilize new wireless network capabilities. Today, many mobile phones are capable of a) receiving and allowing users to hear voice, b) receiving and displaying text messages, c) browsing the Internet, and d) storing ring tones and video clips, which may have been downloaded as favorites. In addition to these features, more advanced mobile phones are capable of a) capturing, storing, and displaying images, b) video capture with sound and playback, c) downloading, storing, and playing back music, and d) allowing users to play games.
Disadvantageously, the user interface on a mobile phone is very small. Illustratively, a visual display of the mobile phone is typically in the range of two to three inches wide. Also, a key pad used for inputting numbers in the mobile phone is only a few inches long. A directional control used to browse a menu is small. Furthermore, speakers on the mobile phone are small, which limits sound volume and sound quality. These user interface size limitations prevent mobile phone users from viewing, listening, and enjoying displayed images, video with sound, and games similarly as one could when watching a larger screen, e.g., 21 inch television screen, or listening to a larger sound system.
Also disadvantageously, the available user memory capacity on a mobile phone is small, e.g., 5 MB. This memory limitation prevents mobile phone users from downloading large files, e.g., broadband files. Further disadvantageously, mobile phones have proprietary interfaces, which prevent mobile phone users from extracting a received signal for external applications.